Cat. 28. Two panels from a minbar

Syria or Iraq; c. 1200

While it is almost impossible to follow the course of the arabesque in the panel from Sultan Lajin’s minbar(cat.no. 27), these two slightly older pieces have greater clarity. Typical of both is the distinctive way in which the leaves form curls, at times at the bottom, at others at the point.

In principle, the heptagonal panel is symmetrical over the vertical axis, but there are little differences, and the stems run over and under one another in different ways, creating a vibrant effect. The pentagonal panel is beautifully serene. Its arabesque emerges from the frame and forms a large spiral, which in turn forms three branches that emerge from the tips of the leaves. The ornament fills out its frame elegantly. The panel once had a mirror-image pendant to maintain the composition’s overall symmetry.